Raising high quality vegetable transplants · Commercial Mixes – Jiffy Mix, Sunshine Mix, Metro...
Transcript of Raising high quality vegetable transplants · Commercial Mixes – Jiffy Mix, Sunshine Mix, Metro...
2/27/2018
1
Raising high quality vegetable transplants
Dr. Ajay NairDepartment of Horticulture
Small Farm Conference 2-10-2018
Why transplants?
• Uniform seed germination • Eliminate variability caused by
direct seeding• Early start• Extends growing season• Enhanced yield and productivity
2/27/2018
2
Ease of growing transplants
Easy to transplant
broccoli
brussels sprouts
cabbage
lettuce
tomato
Medium difficulty
cauliflower
celery
eggplant
onion
pepper
Difficult
cucumber
muskmelon
squash
watermelon
Any problem in these cucmber transplants?
2/27/2018
3
Why don’t I buy from a commercial grower?• Inexpensive if you only need a few plants• No time commitment and care
Some disadvantages• Quality• Transplants may introduce disease, insects, or weeds• Limited cultivar selection
Producing your own transplants• Best use of expensive seeds• Time transplants based on your planting schedule• Choose your own cultivar
Challenges• Know A-Z about transplant production• Time commitment• Optimum production and management plan
2/27/2018
4
Factors to consider
• Seedsource• Trays,flats,cellsize• Growingmedium• Nutrition• Light• Temperature• Moisture• Hardening
Seed
GOOD SEED DOES NOT COST, IT PAYS
Poor quality seeds could lead to low germination rates and lose of plant vigor
Pelletized vs non‐pelletized Ease of seedingStorage consideration
2/27/2018
5
Seeding individual cells
Improve seeding efficiency
2/27/2018
6
2/27/2018
7
Cell sizeVariety of cell sizes available
Most common ones used are 128, 98, 72, or 50‐celled flats
Smaller cells = reduced production costs= reduced transplant size= reduced earliness and quality
Larger cells = higher production costs= larger transplants = enhance earliness and quality
Cell size Depth (inch) Volume of medium (cc)
128 2 28
98 2 35
72 2 1/4 56
50 2 3/8 96
Effect of cell size on medium quantity
Adaptation to transplantingAbility of the plant to reestablish quickly
Root size
2/27/2018
8
Recycle Reduce and Reuse
WATER 10% BLEACH WATER
Growing medium
Medium – Sterile, free of insects and pestsRegular greenhouse Soilless MixCan formulate your own mix
Commercial Mixes – Jiffy Mix, Sunshine Mix, Metro Mix, etc.
2/27/2018
9
Why transplant the medium is important ?
o Sustained growth
o Healthy root and shoot system
o Better field performance
Advantages :
Medium components: Sphagnum Peat
o Holdsmoistureo Lightweight;packedtightly;easytoship
o Growingmediumo Stableorganicmattero Quiteacidic(3.5to4.0)o Lighterisbetterthandarkero Organicgrowersshouldbecareful– wettingagents,againstNOP
$4/cub ft.
pH: 3‐4CEC: 7‐13 me/100cc
2/27/2018
10
Coiro Highmoistureholdingcapacity
o Lightweight;packedtightly;easytoship
o Notasacidicaspeat(5.5to6.0)
o Expandsandholdswater(6‐7timesofitsvolume)
o Expensivethanpeat
Inner fruit
Shell
Husk Outer layer
Husk (Fiber + Pith)
2/27/2018
11
Vermiculite
$4/cub ft.
Perlite
oVolcanicmineraloHoldsmoistureoProvidesporespace
$4/cub ft.
2/27/2018
12
COMPOST
Not to exceed more than 15-25% of the mix
Leachate with high EC
2/27/2018
13
50%
25%
25%
Suggested proportion for transplant medium
PEAT
Perlite/Vermiculite
COMPOST
Commercial potting mixes
• Sunshine Professional Growing Mix
• Fafard Potting Mix
2/27/2018
14
Fertility: Organic fertilizers
Amendment
Blood meal
Bone meal
Feather meal
Fish meal
Alfalfa meal
Estimated N‐P‐K
12.5 – 1.5 – 0.6
4.0 – 21 – 0.2
15 – 0 – 0
10 – 5 – 0
2.5 – 0.5 – 2.0
Rate of release
Medium‐fast
Slow
Slow
Medium
Slow
2/27/2018
15
Examples
Organic commercial sources
• Fish and seaweed-based
2/27/2018
16
Synthetic Fertilizers• Easily available
• 100% water soluble
• $40/25lb bag
Time (after seeding) N concentration
2 week 150 ppm
3 week 250 ppm
4 week 300 ppm
5 week 200 ppm
6 week 150 ppm
Fertilizer calculation: What if a liquid fertilizer
o 1%=10,000ppmo C1xV1=C2xV2
Question: Thefertilizercontainersays10%N.Make100litersof200ppmfertilizersolution
Answer:100,000 x V1 = 200 x 100V1 = 0.2 liters
2/27/2018
17
Dry fertilizer
1ppm=1mg/LSoifyouneed200ppm,thenadd200mgfertilizerin1liter
Sincethefertilizeris10%N,weneedtoaddtentimesofthattoget100%strength
Sotoprepare200ppmfinalfertilizersolutionadd2,000mgin1liter.Sinceyouneed100liters,2,000x100=200,000mg
2/27/2018
18
Components of light Intensity ____________________
Plants require different wavelengths than our eyes perceive Day length
Plants use day length to tell when summer or winter is coming
What is light?Light is photons, which are a quantum, or individual unit. Since individual photons possess tiny amounts of energy, photons are measured in units of moles (abbreviated mol)
Inadequate levels of any of these components will cause a plant to sense inadequate level of light
Quality
Light and Lighting
2/27/2018
19
92%
100%
87%
67%
43%
27%
31% 21%
69%
46%
61%
90%
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBERJANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
Light intensity as a
percentage of July, based on
a 5 year average
Transplant production
Several options
1.Incandescent
2.Fluorescent
3. High Pressure Sodium
20% efficiency
37% efficiency
7% efficiency; not recommended
2/27/2018
20
Red vs. Far Red Light
• Controlling the red to far red light ratio is a means of controlling seedling height without reducing fruit yield or quality
• Incandescent lamps, which are low in R:FR ratio, frequently lead to stem elongation while fluorescent sources, which are high in R:FR ratio, produce short and compact plants.
Fluorescent Lights
• 12 to 16 hours per day • Close to the plants (no more than 4
inches above the tops of the seedlings)
• One cool-white plus one warm-white tube– Or
• Use Full Spectrum Grow Lights
20% efficiency
2/27/2018
21
Great investment but expensive
High Intensity DischargeHigh Pressure Sodium
2/27/2018
22
• CanIgetextraproductivityorhigherplantqualitytojustifytheinvestmentinHPSlamps?
• AnswerisYes,butshouldjustifyforyourownoperation
• Greaterbenefitwhenplantsaresmallandgrowingrapidly.Economicbenefitdecreaseswhenplantsgetolder
Do your math
Unit + Ballast + reflective cover = $400 to $450400W lamp + 50W ballast ~~ 500W
@ 10cents/kwatt hour~~~ 5cents/hour/lamp
If running 16 hours, then 16 x 5 cents = 80 cents/day
For a 20 ft x 25 ft greenhouse we would approximately need 16 lamps to maintain 300µmol/m2/s at the bench, therefore, 16 x $0.80 = $ 12.8 ~~ $13/day
Lets do a cost analysis on HPS
2/27/2018
23
2/27/2018
24
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
1/31 2/2 2/4 2/6 2/8 2/10 2/12 2/14 2/16 2/18 2/20 2/22 2/24 2/26 2/28
Average intensity (µmol/m
2/s)
Date (2013)
HPS Greenhouse Fluorescent
2/27/2018
25
2/27/2018
26
0.0
4.0
8.0
12.0
16.0
20.0
Fluorescent GH GH + HPS
Plant Height (cm)
Plants from 50‐celled flat
2/27/2018
27
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
Fluorescent GH GH + HPS
Stem girth (mm)
44%
Plants from 50‐celled flat
Greenhouse + High Pressure Sodium
Greenhouse Fluorescent
4 weeks after seeding
2/27/2018
28
Watering
• One of the most important greenhouse operation
• Low priority…..boring task
• Plants are 80 to 95% water
• Applying correct amount of water is important
2/27/2018
29
Three rules to follow
RULE 1 ‐ Growing medium should be well drained
RULE 2 ‐Water thoroughly each time
RULE 3 ‐ Apply water just before the plant shows signs of water stress
2/27/2018
30
WONDER WATER
Water Quality
• Testyourwaterperiodically• Majorproblemwithwaterare:saltconcentrationimbalanceinindividualnutrient
2/27/2018
31
• Alkalinityofwater:carbonatesandbicarbonatesofCa,Mg,andNa
• Ifalkalinityvalue1.0‐ 1.5meq/L(75ppmcalciumcarbonateequivalent)– okrange
• Morethan1.5meq/L– caution• YoudoneedsomealkalinityotherwisewaterwilldissolvethelimestonefromyoursoillessmixanddecreasepHtothatofthepeatmoss
• Nalevelshouldnotexceed50ppm
How long in the greenhouse
Vegetable Number of weeks
Vegetable Number of weeks
Broccoli 5‐7 Lettuce 4‐5
Cabbage 5‐7 Muskmelon 3‐4
Cauliflower 5‐7 Onion 10‐12
Cucumber 2‐3 Pepper 6‐8
Eggplant 6‐8 Tomato 5‐7
2/27/2018
32
Hardening off
Kristine LangMoriah Bilenky
Neel SolankiSarah Steffen
Brandon CarpenterNick Howell
Many THANKSMany Thanks
2/27/2018
33
ContactDr. Ajay NairEmail: [email protected]: 515‐294‐7080
www.extension.iastate.edu/vegetablelabwww.Iowavegetables.blogspot.com
Questions ?